Allen West Dominating Democratic Opponent in Florida

Katie Pavlich

10/19/2012 10:54:00 AM - Katie Pavlich

Rep. Allen West is beating his Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy in the race for a newly drawn Florida congressional district by nine points according to a new poll released yesterday.

Among likely voters surveyed, 51 percent support West and 42 percent back Murphy. Eight percent are undecided.

The same poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP), found Mitt Romney leading President Barack Obama in District 18 by a 50 percent to 45 percent margin.

The battle for the 18 th congressional district, which includes Martin, St. Lucie and northern Palm Beach counties, is one of the closest watched races in the country. The race has been characterized by a flood of advertising--most of which is coming from West who has outspent his Democratic challenger by 4-1.

In a sign that West’s ads are paying off, Murphy’s favorability numbers are significantly underwater in the PPP survey. Only 34 percent of likely voters view Murphy favorably and 47 percent view him unfavorably. On the other hand, 49 percent of those polled have a favorable opinion of West, to 41 percent unfavorable.

“Negative advertising seems to have taken more of a toll on Patrick Murphy then on Allen West,” said Jim Williams, a polling analyst at Public Policy Polling.

Asked about the flood of negative ads in the race, 31 percent said the spots have made them more likely to vote for West, while 27 percent said they have made them more likely to back Murphy.

“West owes his overall 9-point lead to a 52-34 advantage among independent voters. He also earns more support from Republicans than Murphy does from Democrats,” said Williams.

On top of brilliant political ads, West's smaller government message seems to be resonating with voters in the heavily Democratic district he is trying to win.